


more than any star (your love lights up)

by wujusonyeol



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ficlet, Flash Fic, Fluff, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Self-Indulgent, Short, Theater Kid Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23277910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wujusonyeol/pseuds/wujusonyeol
Summary: Lee Donghyuck is a stressed theatre kid. Mark Lee is a good boyfriend.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 6
Kudos: 123





	more than any star (your love lights up)

**Author's Note:**

> oh my gosh i actually finished writing a fic hhh (idc if it's only 1k+ words IT'S SOMETHING TO ME)
> 
> this is just a really self-indulgent ficlet haha. it's unbetaed and all that, so if there are mistakes and typos, my apologies! i hope you like it~
> 
> oh and the title is from WJSN's song, Lights Up. it's a rlly cute song so do give my girlies a listen hihi ;w;

Mark didn’t have to ask who was at the door of his dorm room when he heard the violent knocking.

“Door’s unlocked,” he yelled, eyes unmoving from his laptop resting on his navy sweatpants as he typed out a lab report that was making his eyes glaze over. He couldn’t even be bothered to do it on the desk across him — he opted instead for the comfort of his bed.

With that, in came Lee Donghyuck, with his warm brown hair and flushed cheeks illuminated by the lamp on his bedside. His footsteps banging onto the wooden floor, he threw his sling bag next to the door before stomping straight to the spot next to the foot of the bed, an empty space that Mark kept empty per the younger’s request. ( _I need a spot to sulk in_ , Donghyuck had argued before. And with Donghyuck, Mark knew not to argue.)

Immediately, the younger slumped down and curled up, hugging his legs towards him. “I can’t do this,” he whined, head buried away from the rest of the world.

That tone of voice was what coaxed Mark into putting in a little more effort to comfort the younger. With a soft sigh, he shut his laptop and placed it on his bedside table, before taking a few steps on the cold wooden floor and stopping to crouch in front of the younger boy. “What are you talking about, babe?”

“The show,” he grumbled, stil unwilling to look at the other. “I don’t even know why I auditioned for this one. I _knew_ West Side wasn’t my gig.”

Mark chuckled. “Then why would they give you Riff? Isn’t he, like, a big role?”

“Because they felt sorry for me? Or something? I don’t know,” Donghyuck answered, voice still muffled.

“What happened at rehearsals today?” Mark asked, frowning at the state Donghyuck was in. This wasn’t normal Donghyuck — this was post-wreckage Donghyuck. Normal Donghyuck was all glowy and bright. Here, he was almost… dimmed.

“I messed up,” Donghyuck answered, finally revealing himself and his tear-glazed eyes to the other. “I messed up on, like, everything. The dancing, the lyrics, my _actual lines_ … I kept forgetting.”

“So?” the older boy asked as he slid in between Donghyuck and the cabinet next to him. “You’ve been tired. These rehearsals have been taking a lot out of you. It’s okay.”

“But _everyone else_ was okay,” Donghyuck argued, throwing his head back in exasperation. “It was just me. Even the director noticed.”

Mark furrowed his brows, cocking his head aside. “What did he say?”

“He said that if I don’t get my shit together, the show’s gonna flop. So tomorrow, I have to come in early to _prove_ that I memorised everything.”

“Jesus. Tough guy, huh?”

“Heechul’s always been like that. Besides… he’s not wrong for it,” Donghyuck said, turning away from the older. “The premiere is in a week, for crying out loud. We don’t have time to mess up anymore.”

Mark heard a sniffle. Then another, then another. Soft, little sniffles.

Breathing out a heavy sigh, the older boy scooted over to the younger, until he could feel the other boy’s physical warmth on his side.

“Babe?”

No answer. More sniffles, louder now. Mark rolled his eyes, a smirk starting to form on his lips.

“Hyuckie?”

The briefest of pauses punctuated Donghyuck’s turning to face forward. Mark could see the tear stains on his cheek, the pout of his lips. Still, the younger wasn’t willing to meet Mark’s gaze. Donghyuck looked down. “Mark, stop.”

The smirk grew into a grin. “Duckie? Are you in there?”

Donghyuck threw his head back once more, rolling his eyes as he let out an unhappy groan. “Lee Minhyung, _please_ …”

That was the cue for the older to nudge the other playfully by the shoulder. “You’re listening to me, right?”

Donghyuck let out a final sigh, dropping his head back down. A moment passed between them before Donghyuck turned to finally face his boyfriend. “What?” he asked, brief and sharp — but not cutting. Just Donghyuck-grade sharp.

With that, Mark turned his body to face Donghyuck. “Listen to me, Donghyuck. You are an amazing performer. There’s a reason why they cast you as Riff — because they know you can do it. I’ve seen you move on stage, and the moment you step in, it’s… you’ve just got this _presence_. It’s like you’re a spark, and you set the whole thing on fire. And that’s before we even hear your voice, and oh my god, Hyuck, _your voice—“_

Mark threw his hands in the air, coaxing a giggle out of the other boy. “Okay, okay, stop already, sheesh!” the younger groaned, his voice coloured by his little smile. His hands were on Mark’s arms, bringing them back down to Earth.

“My point is, Hyuck, you’re amazing. Whatever happened tonight was a one-off. And I know that on show day itself, you’re going to kill it. Okay?” Mark assured, his hands having travelled down the sleeve of Donghyuck’s burgundy sweater, now caressing the younger’s.

One last sniffle came from the brunet as he pulled away one of his hands, using his sleeve to wipe the tears off. His hand came back slowly into Mark’s, as a warm silence fell gently over them like a blanket. They sat there, like that, simply staring at each other, smiling in the soft, sepia light.

“I love you,” Donghyuck coaxed out of himself, sweet and honest. The smile on Mark’s face grew; his eyes grinned, too.

“Same,” the elder replied, causing Donghyuck to scoff and smack Mark softly on the shoulder — something the black-haired boy tried to dodge unsuccessfully while laughing. “Hey! Hey, I’m just kidding. I love you too,” he replied, his hand now moved to Donghyuck’s cheek, caressing it with his thumb. “You know I do.”

And just like that, Mark could stare for hours. At this _boy_ in front of him, with his glittering eyes and small, kind smile. That smile, performed on those soft lips, which Mark couldn’t tear his gaze away from. The thought of them made Mark bite his own.

Slowly, Mark made the first move, leaning in as his hand guided Donghyuck closer to him. He began closing his eyes as he felt the softness of Donghyuck’s hand firmly gripping his bicep, the other resting warmly on the back of his neck as they closed the distance. Eyes closed, the feeling of their warm breaths mingling with each other’s, sweet anticipation fading off as they—

_Growl._

Wait. Was that...?

Mark pulled back, head a little clearer now. (Granted, not by much, but still.) “Wait. Have you eaten dinner?”

Mark caught the younger’s dissatisfied pout turning into the face of a deer in the headlights, before Donghyuck turned to look at the floor. He was rocking back and forth ever so slightly, unwilling to meet his boyfriend’s gaze. “Well, rehearsals ended pretty late…”

Mark furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief. “Wait. You haven’t eaten _at all_?”

Donghyuck pursed his lips as his eyes moved elsewhere to the lamp on the bedside, a clear effort to look away from the elder. “I had, like, a potato bun before rehearsals! And I was thinking of getting food, but then I was so upset that I came straight to you, and—“

“Stop,” Mark said, standing up and dusting himself off. He started making his way to the bedside table to grab his keys and wallet.

“Babe?” Donghyuck asked. Mark couldn’t see him, but he could hear the pout. He could _feel_ it.

“We’re getting McDonald’s,” the older boy announced, stuffing his belongings into his front pockets before turning back to help the younger boy up. “I’m driving. Oh, and it’s my treat.”

Donghyuck took the older boy’s hand, standing up before a wide grin starting crawling across his lips. His eyes glittered once more, though this time, they held a sweet joy instead of tears. He wrapped his arms around the other, pulling him in for a warm, tight hug. “I really love you,” he whispered with his head buried in the crook of Mark’s neck.

“I love you, too,” Mark answered, his voice soft and meaningful. His hand patted Donghyuck’s back, causing the younger to pull him in tighter. Mark couldn’t help but grin.

And for a moment, Mark’s eyes flitted over to the silver laptop on the bedside, bringing his mind back to his unfinished lab report. It didn’t even take Mark a second to make his decision. He chose to close his eyes, enjoying the embrace Donghyuck was giving him.

_I’ll have to order coffee later_ , Mark noted mentally, sighing ever so quietly as his grin grew a little bigger. _I can do the lab report later. For now, what matters is Donghyuck._

**Author's Note:**

> don't be shy, leave a comment!


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